Dark Days
by TenebrisCor
Summary: People have been disappearing. The town is in chaos. Will the young hero, Danny Phantom, save the day? Or will he go in over his head. Rated T for later violence and language.
1. Trapped

**I do not own Danny Phantom. If I did... let's just say I would not be living as I do now.**

**Hope you enjoy this first chapter!**

**If you want to read more into this twisted tale, please review!**

**What do you think is going on?**

**Now onto this tale of woe...**

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Chapter One

-Trapped-

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Jayleen's POV

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It feels as though it has been years since I last opened my eyes. Stiff. Groggy. _What happened to me?_

_FLASH_

_NO! STOP! MOM!_

_FLASH_

_I gasped! Where was everyone? Where was I?_

_FLASH_

_Pain. Needles, I hate needles. PAIN! A scream. Was it my own?_

_FLASH_

No. It can't be.

I held my breath. Trying to sit up, I felt a sudden pain in my wrist. _What is going on?_ When I tried once again to move my wrists, to no avail, I moaned. _This is definitely not the way I had planned on spending my evening. Even playing checkers with my grandfather would be better than this... though perhaps not much._ I chuckled at that thought. My grandfather always was a nut for checkers.

No. I cannot think of them right now. _Where the hell am I?_

Upon realizing that moving would be of no use, I decided upon looking at my surroundings. Opening my eyes once again, I flinched at the sudden change in lighting. There was not much light in the room save a lamp in the far corner, but it was enough the strain my tired eyes.

_Ah! Okay, that is not going to work. Never did have much of a pain tolerance to speak of. Yikes, now I got one hell of a headache._

Annoyed by the sudden discomfort, I sighed softly. Only the be assaulted by a shout of alarm that I assume derived from the lit corner.

Suddenly, my surroundings were lit up like the sun at midnight. I hissed at the sudden change. _Why are my eyes so sensitive?_

Before a second had passed I could hear the clanging of metal against metal. Papers shuffling. Voices echoing. Machines whirring.

"Quiet Jack, we mustn't make her startle quite yet."

_How could they worry about that? They were making so much noise it could wake the dead!_

"Hurry with the sedative, her heart rate is raising rapidly!" The man I supposed to be Jack yelled.

_Wait, SEDATIVE? THEY WERE NOT GOING TO BE GIVING ME A SEDATIVE!_

I tried to struggle against my bonds, but was kept from freedom by these blasted pieces of metal.

"I never could understand how she could have a heartbeat. Do ghosts even have a heart?

_Ghosts...? This is not adding up... Ghosts are not even real._

Confusion. Worry. Anguish.

No. It can't be.

"Finally. This sedative should put her out for a good long time. Wouldn't want her waking up, now would we?" A chuckle was shared between the two, apparently whatever joke there was to be had was at my expense.

_Something is not right... I know that something is not right._

Suddenly finding myself unable to form a thought, I struggled to maintain consciousness.

_I cannot fall under. I cannot..._

...

_It was an unusually bright day, especially since it had been raining nonstop the past few days._

_Squinting up at the sky, I heaved a sigh of contentment. If only this weather would hold. That would make living here a heck of a lot easier._

_I sighed again, though this time for a different reason entirely. Walking home might be the only relaxing part of my day. With my grandparents visiting I certainly will not be getting rest any time soon. Why can my family never get along?_

_My thoughts quickly dimmed as my steps reached the front my home. Heaving another sigh, I plodding up the driveway. As I opened the main entrance, I mentally prepared myself for the worst possibly conceivable evening. As I glanced toward the kitchen, a look of shock made its way onto my face as it slowly developed into horror._

...

"I think she is coming to Jack! Hurry, ready the ecto-weapons, she might still be dangerous."

_...what?..._

"How did the sedative wear off so quickly? It should have lasted for hours!"

_...sedative?..._

"I don't know Jack, but this has to end. Her kind will not bring any more destruction to our town."

I blinked in confusion. This didn't make any sense...

_"Where am I?"_

"You are in the lab of the world renowned Fentons of course! Where else would you be. Waltzing into our portal like you owned it. The nerve. I ought to blast you right now!"

_Fenton? Why does that sounds so familiar..._

"Now Jack, you know that we have to dissect it first, think of all that we could learn!

_'It'? Did that women, whatever her name is, just call me an 'it'?_

"Yes I know sweetest, but it would not be nearly as much fun."

"That be as it may, we need to get on with our task at hand. This is a very time sensitive matter, and I do not want to lose out on any valuable data. Do you have the needle ready?"

_Needles. I hate needles._

Jack, I assume, handed her the said needle. Feeling a prick in my right arm, I suddenly became light-headed.

"That should hold us through the experiments for now."

Through my fading vision, I saw a sickly luminous green vile being held in her hand. _Green? Why is it green?_

"Jack honey, set this on the table over there will you?"

I glanced over to the table next to me. Jack 'Fenton' placed the vile of glowing green substance none to carefully into a clear cooler.

"Careful with that! We can always get more, but why waste it?"

_'We can always get more'... what am I to them? An animal? Scratch that. I guess I am._

"I want it to sit until tomorrow, let us take our leave and wait for the results. You might as well get some rest ghost. You will need it." The woman sneered in my direction.

As the two walked out, my vision was near gone. Head spinning in the now dark room. I glanced over to my left at the table where the substance had been left. It still glowed green, created a slight light in its surrounding area. As I tried to closer examine its contents, my eyes began burning.

_Just a few seconds longer._

I tried once more to view what it contained.

_Green and red, reminds me of Christmas... haha_

I chucked as I blacked out once again.


	2. Screams

**I do not own Danny Phantom, though I wish I had the honor.**

**I hope you enjoy this chapter! Please review! I need feedback!**

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Chapter Two

_-Screams-_

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Danny's POV

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"So, what do you guys think. Shall we watch Nightmerica at my house tonight?"

It had been a long day. Between having to capture the Box Ghost _again_, running into Skulker, and being late to class some might call that en excuse to sleep for the next week. Unfortunately I did not have the pleasure. All I could do was take some time to try and act normal. Though I was far from being that.

"Of course dude! Sounds awesome." Tucker has been my best friend for as long as I can remember. We always hang out whenever possible, and given our current circumstances that ended up being more often than not. Ghost fighting takes a lot out of a person though, and it is nice to kick back and attempt to relax for a few minutes every now and again.

Sam, my other best friend, was walking slowly beside Tuck and I. She was staring down at her feet muttering. It might appear to be normal, given that she is goth, but this was highly unlike her. "Sam? I thought you would excited to be seeing one of your favorite films for a change!" I sent a lopsided grin her way, attempting to break her spiral of gloom.

She glanced up at me, giving a fake grin. "Of course I am, I am just thinking is all." She turned her head down once again. "I just have a bad feeling. It's probably nothing." She straightened up, attempting to shrug off her her doubts.

"If you say so..." There was definitely something going on. Now, though, was time for relaxation. There are no ghost attacks at the moment, and there is a movie night planned for the evening. Now if only every evening could be spend like this!

* * *

The night had been uneventful as of yet. Not once did my ghost sense go off, not once did I get the shiver down my spine that makes an appearance every time a ghost is near.

Ah, the wood has been knocked.

I felt that familiar shiver, and sighed. _Could they not wait one night? _I glanced over to my left, trying to look out of our window, trying to see where it might be coming from. I started when my parents opened the door to the downstairs lab, a sudden cold breeze making its way toward us.

My parents looked tired, as though they had not slept in days. _That's odd... They must be making a new invention. Great. _

"Mom! Dad! What have you guys been up to?" I usually keep out of their affairs, since our interests tend to conflict.

"Good evening Danny, we are just trying to make this world a better place." Her voice seemed distant, which set off a few more alarms.

"Sweet, I am just going to go down there and look at your fascinating work..." I tried to sound casual. Maybe I can get insight on whatever piece of ghost fighting tech they have developed this time.

"NO! ... I mean, then we would not be able to unveil our discovery at one time. Timing is key, Danny. Timing is key." Well that was unexpected. Something is not right here. Now I really have to find out what they are doing down there. It might be the difference between life and death, particularly my life or full death...

"Um, okay. Why don't you guys get some sleep, it looks like you could use more than a few winks."

"No, we have to work. This is a very time sensitive matter. We cannot waste time." Her voice had a dull quality to it, monotone with a hint of severity. My parents never spoke like that. Unless...

"Now, we will be back in a few minutes. Must have all the supplies ready for the procedure." ..._Procedure?_

As they shut the lab door behind them, I heard it lock into place. _They never lock it. _I followed them slowly toward the door. Even the way they walked was unusual. _Don't worry about it Fenton. I am sure everything is all right. They need a few hours sleep is all. _

As I walked back to the couch where Sam and Tucker were waiting, I could not shake off the feeling that _something_ was not right.

_Forget it._

Half an hour later, my mind started to wander again. _What could hey have meant by procedure? Surely they could not be referring to an invention. The only procedure that comes to mind would be a..._

I was suddenly snapped out of my thoughts when I heard a scream.

"What was that!" I glanced around the room quickly, trying to identity the source.

"Calm down Danny! I'm sure it was just from the movie." Sam chuckled, trying to calm my nerves. She obviously was fully taken in by the movie. At least she had forgotten her previous fears.

I started to relax. After all, we were watching a horror movie.

**_SCREECH!_**

A sound that approached upon trepidation rang through the halls.

_That sound was not coming from the movie._

Faster than a shot I went ghost, practically flew off the couch, and started speeding toward where I believed the sound to be originating from.

The scream went from being as sharp as a knife to as soft as a puppy being cornered by a pack of wolves. There was fear. There anger. What really got to me, was the hint of determination.

I worked my way toward the window, trying to see if it was coming from off the streets. _Perhaps there was a ghost trying to terrorize the town and its citizens once again. _

My core became colder than the ice it harbored when I realized where the sound was originating from.

_The monsters. _


	3. Shocked

**Annnddd... here we go again! I am trying to make these chapters longer, so now I am spending more time with them. This is so exciting! **

**Disclaimer: I. do. not. own. anything. Noope! Nothing!**

**Thanks go to those who have read this so far! If you like what you are reading, please review! Writers, after all, are quite a bit for vain than the average Joe. We like to hear that our efforts are appreciated! **

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Chapter Three

-Shocked-

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Danny's POV

* * *

_No. They couldn't have._ My breath became ragged as I cautiously approached the lab door.

Sure enough. The screams had been coming from this direction. I shuttered before I opened the door. _There is no need to worry, they are gone. They left for the store a while ago._

The screams then become soft. I could hear whoever it was crying. _This is no ordinary ghost. It couldn't be._ Even if it is, why would they do something horrible enough as to make someone scream like that? _Duh Fenton, ghost hunters._

I once again glanced toward to front door, praying that they wouldn't walk in at any moment.

As I stepped onto the top of the stairway I shuttered once again. _There is something not right, but what?_

Some may call it a sixth sense, but I just call it bone chilling.

With the sound of gasping in the air, followed by sobs, I pushed aside my doubt. Whoever was at the base of these stairs needed help. And needed it fast.

I quickly floated down the stairs and padded over to where the nearly silent sobs where originating from.

"No, no no no... get away. GET AWAY!" I started, then quickly tried to relax. Getting anxious is not going to help the situation at all. When I looked over to the lab table, I noticed a faint glow surrounding a small figure. When I walked closer, I noticed that on the table was a girl. Not much younger than myself! In fact, she looked so much like Dani they could have been sisters. The girl in front of me however was not quite as young as Danielle and her distrust went beyond her years. No one should have to display that level of distrust.

"It's okay, I am here to help you."

"NO! Get away... get away..." Her cries softened as she closed her eyes. I glanced over her, assessing her situation. As my eyes landed on the tray next to the table, I noticed the ectoplasm samples. The amount of ectoplasm that was taken from her was entirely too much! Though ectoplasm is replaced quicker than human blood, it does take time. When too much is taken, the outcome is never pleasant. All she needed was time, but first I had to get her out of here.

As I reached out to unstrap her from the table, I could see her flinch. _God, how could they. _HOW COULD THEY? Silently, I could feel my blood boiling. They had gone too far.

With deep breaths, and a great deal of self control, I slowly brought her out of her defenseless position. Here eyes watching me like a hawk. She obviously had something happen to her, but what? Asking her might set her off, and that was the last thing I wanted to do. Hoping she would answer my question, I gave her a look of pure curiosity. She opened her eyes slowly, taking me in. Though wary, she acknowledged my unasked question.

"No." Well, that worked perfectly. Sighing, I helping her stand. As she suddenly put her weight onto the table behind her, she quickly took in a breath and closed her eyes.

"Is anything broken?"

"Yes." Her voice was so quiet I would not have been able to hear it without my ghost hearing. I was about to ask her about other inflictions that might have been put upon her, but she quickly got off the topic.

"Hurry, we have to get out of here." She wasted no time in getting of the ground and into the air.

There is no way I was going to simply fly away from this. I had to confront my parents about this! Not in Phantom form surely, but as Fenton? Hell yeah.

"No, I have something I need to take care of here first." My eyes glowed dangerously. My parents. They had taken a girl and hurt her in a way that made her flinch at the slightest touch. It does not matter if she is a ghost, how could they not care in the least!

"No, you don't understand, they aren't..." She didn't get to finish her statement before the doors that led to the lab stairwell slammed open.

The girl in front of me froze. What was she going to say?

"You creatures are not going to get out of here alive." My mom... my own mother... reached into one of her pockets and brought out a taser. _That's odd, the closest thing to a taser they have ever used was the Jack O' Nine Tails._ This was not good. I couldn't believe it. My parents... they were trying to kill me. After a few seconds of recovering from shock, I glanced back at the girl.

She was gone.

Of course. She had her chance to leave, and she took it like she should have, can't blame her there. Guess that means it is time to take my leave as well. Shooting up from toward to ceiling, I couldn't help but feel something was wrong. That sensation that I was missing something. But what? She wasn't there, she had gotten away, what else was there?

As I approached the ceiling within a few inches, I blinked. _No, that can't be what she was..._

I was not even able to finish my thoughts before a thousand volts of lighting whipping through my bones.

"**AAARRRGGGHH!**" The pain was electrifying. Literally. My bones griped from the abuse, and my scream spoke volumes. As the pain ripped through my limbs, I dropped. Writhing in agony, I sank into a fetal position. _This cannot be happening... This cannot be happening... My parents... my own parents... no.. no.. no._ My mind started to shut down. My core began to grow warm. _It is not suppose to do that. What is happening to me? What are they doing?_ The core that I had grown so use to over the years was usually as cold as the mountain peaks in Alaska. As the paint continued, I became less aware of it. My mind was drifting away from the world around me, and focused on my core.

That was not an ordinary taser. What is it doing to me?

I gasped, trying to form words. The pain was too much. The betrayal was too much.

Trying to get them to tell me something, I gave them a look of confusion.

"This taser was designed to attack the ghostly core. It seeks the core, and uses its own energy against it. Leaving you utterly defenseless." As my father spoke, I drifted out of consciousness. _No..._

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Jayleen's POV

* * *

_Damn my head hurt... I had to stop blacking out._ _Not that I could help it much._ My bitter thoughts became sobs. As I looked around the room, I remembered where I was. Unfortunately, that was surprising. They had loaded me with so many sedatives I did not know who I as half of the time. _Not that I really know who I am anymore anyway. _Something had changed inside of me. This I knew. I tried to focus on the ever increasing level of energy that I found in my gut. _No, that's not right... my **core**. I had a core. But how..._

_FLASH_

_I glanced up at where my parents should have been. Instead, I found a group of men in official attire standing armed in my living room. They looked nervous, as though they thought I would attack them at any moment. "What on earth..?" I whispered under my breath. That single action alone was received as though a panther had been let into the room. Suddenly they were all action. What were they doing! This could not be legal. My eyes searched for my parents. My grandparents, were they okay! _

_"Freeze, don't move!" They were starting to close in. They couldn't do anything to us, we hadn't done anything! _

_"NO! STOP! MOM!" I saw her out of the corner of my eye, he eyes pleading. Pleading for what? Forgiveness? That couldn't be right..._

_They then quickly advanced. With a sharp pain in my back, I could only think, why oh why did we move into Amity Park? _

_FLASH_

Something was not right about those two. The way they moved, the way they talked. It didn't seem right. I had seen them in action before, and they always sounded so lively. Now, however, they were saying the right words, but there was absolutely no emotion behind it. None. When they were taking my blood, or I suppose I should say ectoplasm, they were stoic. Despite my pleas, they did not say a word. This wouldn't have rung any warning bells if it wasn't for their eyes. They didn't even look normal. But how...

With their last sample they had taken much more than ectoplasm. _Wanting to figure out what made me tick. What am I, a clock?_ The loss of ectoplasm must be affecting me. I chuckled.

Bad idea.

Pain wracked through me. Time for the circle to begin that only ends in my being unconscious, or very nearly. The pain. My body twitched, more pain arose. When I tried to situate my leg in an attempt to break the cycle, it did not take long to realize that this was not one of my better ideas.

I screamed. I screamed bloody murder.

What had they done to my leg! This was not ordinary pain. It couldn't be. Despite my low pain tolerance, this could not be good. I tried to bite my tongue, but whimpers still came through my lips. I silently sobbed, trying not to move my body an inch.

I heard the door creak. _No. They could not be back already. They were usually gone for hours on end. No._ It was eerily silent for a few moments. I new I heard the door, did it just open by itself? Though unlikely, I still hoped. I gasped for air, and then bit back a sob. Footsteps were suddenly audible. _No._

"No, no no no... get away. GET AWAY!" They were not going to touch me again. Hadn't they already caused me enough pain?

"It's okay, I am here to help you." The voice was different, but that didn't matter. I was still strapped to the table. I was still technically at their mercy, however much I did not want to think about that. _They can still do whatever they please... the could still kill me if they wanted to. But no. They had to keep their 'test subject' alive._

"NO! Get away... get away..." I was doomed. Doomed to an eternity of being a test subject. A puppet. I tried to calm me nerves, but they wouldn't have it. I closed my eyes, hopping to block out at least some of the pain that ripped through my bones every time they did a test. But, nothing happened._ They must just be messing with my head. It is almost more cruel in a way than the physical pain. Who said words, or the lack of, couldn't hurt you._ I felt a hand descending closer to me. I flinched, not wanting to have to go through this torture again. Not again.

To my shock, the straps were loosened. Was this some cruel joke? Slowly, careful not to open them too quickly as that often startled whoever was over me into giving me a shock, I took in my supposed new captor. This had to be a trick.

Before my eyes stood Danny Phantom. The town hero was standing right in front of me. This has to be an illusion. What was he doing here? He shouldn't be here. He couldn't. In his eyes I saw something I hadn't seen in what seemed like years. Compassion. Habits have a tendency of breaking through though, no matter the situation. As his hands moved, I watched them inch by inch. I knew he wasn't going to hurt me. I knew he wasn't going to electrocute me. As I saw the look of a question forming, I knew what he wanted. And I was not going to give it to him. Not yet.

"No." He seemed to deflate a little, but I could not let myself become distracted. He had loosed my bonds, and now I was free. I could stand of my own free will for the first time in who knows how long. The word 'alone' being used very lightly. As he helped me sit up, I was once again wracked with pain. I became my entire being. As I started on the path of standing, I had to separate myself from my body. I had to get through this. I had to be able to stand for a minute. With a gasp I leaned back onto the lab table. If anything this made it worse for a second, but I couldn't bring myself to care.

"Is anything broken?" I glanced up at him with a hint of both scorn and amusement. _No, nothing is broken, I am just standing here barely breathing for the heck of it. WHAT TO DO YOU THINK?_

"Yes." He was only trying to help. He had freed me. I took another labored breath in... out...

"Hurry, we have to get out of here." We had to hurry. They would come back. He couldn't get caught. If he got caught, everything would be over. There would be no way out. For any of us.

I had to get off of my legs. Well, they insisted that I was a ghost, so what the heck. Suddenly, I felt lighter. A weightlessness overcame me. Freedom. The pain in my legs is gone! Finally.

"No, I have something I need to take care of here first." Was he an idiot! If he stayed here we would both be captured. I could not be captured again. I just couldn't. I tried to gather the breath to explain it to him. If looks could kill, I would have been dead on the spot. These _Fentons_, who were they? He obviously thought they were what he ordinarily faced. He could not carry on such a thought. They were different. Something was not the same.

"No, you don't understand, they aren't..." Before I could get out my thought, the doors slammed open. NO! They were not going to take me again. I couldn't let them take me again. For a moment, I went into shock. Memories, so many memories.

_I hate needles. I really do._

_"You creatures are not going..."_ I didn't stick around to hear the rest. I went invisible and intangible and shot through the roof. Air. I needed air. Phantom would surely follow me, he has had enough experience with this sort of thing. I would have to make sure to thank him thoroughly later.

Freedom.

Air.

Does it get any better than this? I. Was. FREE!

I glanced behind me. Half expecting to see Phantom coming up behind me and giving me that lopsided grin that he is known so well for.

No. Where was he? He had to have been right behind me.

No.

NO!

I searched to sky, hoping to see him somewhere. Why hadn't I waited to make sure he was behind me? Why was I so self absorbed that I forgot he might have actually meant what he had said about staying behind. I thought he must have been jesting.

Suddenly, with hearing that at this moment I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy.. except them of course.. I heard a scream. A scream so blood curdling it make me sick.

no...

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**And now, at nearly 1am, I have finished another chapter! So, what do you think? Enough detail, too little, even too much? Please let me know! I need feedback to make this the best that it can be. **

**Thank you for reading! Don't forget to review...**


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